Fence Rail

Wednesday, January 3, 2018

January 4, 2018 Reading Notes

If you don't have a One Year Bible or prefer something online, this link will take you to the day's reading, http://oneyearbibleonline.com/daily-oyb/. This site allows you to select from several languages and several English translations.

JANUARY 4

Genesis 8-10

This is another day of big beginnings in Genesis. Remember to write out observations and questions and mark up your Bible when you find things that are interesting to you. The important thing that happens is that your natural interest becomes engaged so you begin to see connections and seek answers.

One resource you might want to check out if you have a question is the Bible Knowledge Commentary online at Google books. Much of it can be previewed/read for free and this commentary is easy reading and more in depth than these notes. One chart that might be helpful is “Chronology of the Flood,” Bible Knowledge Commentary-OT, p. 39.

Genesis 8

Vs. 1-12 Noah and his family have taken a long cruise. The chart mentioned above shows you how long all of this lasted.

V. 2 It is supposed by some that conditions before and after the flood were incredibly different. There are questions as to where all that water came from and where it went. It is thought that the earth was surrounded by a wall of water vapor that filtered the rays of the sun and gave the earth a greenhouse climate. In the flood then, that water vapor layer was dissolved (windows of heaven). After the flood, with this layer missing, the earth had extreme temperatures allowing for the ice caps at the north and south and the freezing of that water. With a huge change in climate came clouds and rain, making a rainbow possible, and certain animals became extinct because of the harsher climate. Also, it is suggested, that because the sun was no longer filtered, it led to the drastic reduction in the span of life for everything, mankind included.

Regardless of how God did it, through natural or supernatural means, God changed things significantly.

V. 10 Since this was a new beginning for everything, I think it is safe to assume that God allowed everything to grow quickly, supernaturally. To have an olive tree with a leaf, after all plant life on land had been destroyed, would be a miracle. This same thing is true when we read of the resurrection of someone in the Bible. It seems easy to believe the spirit could just go back to the body, but the body first had to be totally re-created. In this case God was again creating plant life. And who knows what else He was doing during that time.

Vs. 13-19 I think that God's blessing was supernaturally on everything that left the ark. One interesting thought is wondering where Moses got all of these month and day references. The detail is very exact. It may be that Noah kept records, but these never would have made their way into Moses' hands. It must be that Moses wrote all of this during the 40 years in the wilderness, as he spent time with the Lord. That means that as God gave Moses all of this information to write down, all of the days would have been according to the calendar God had just given to His people. On that calendar, their first month was our March-April. Later that would be the Passover and the death and resurrection of the child of promise, Jesus.

Vs. 20-22 I wonder if 8:20 wouldn't have been a better place to begin chapter 9.

V. 20 It is interesting to think that Noah knew which animals were clean or unclean. Even if Moses was writing this with his understanding of God's requirements, how would Noah, back then, have known which animals were acceptable for worship? Apparently God told him.

V. 21 The sacrifice had more to do with God being pleased with devotion, obedience and man's understanding of his need to have his sin forgiven. That was pleasing to God. It was not that God likes the smell of brisket. I mean, He probably does. Who doesn't? But in other places God says that sacrifices will not please Him if the understanding and heart behind the sacrifices is false. You can see this in Isaiah 1.

God is pleased with the sacrifice and devotion of Noah and promises not to repeat the flood, though He states that the sickness of sin is still present. Noah & Co. brought it with them.

This is a new beginning of the human race, from scratch.

Genesis 9

Vs. 1-7 This is God's blessing of Man and the earth with a couple of interesting additions.

Along with the fear of man given to the animals, it seems that Noah & Co. could now eat meat. Here God gives them the prohibition against eating raw, un-drained meat, that is, with the blood still in it. This command is repeated in the Law of Moses and again in Acts. Since this command is given before the law, it is suggested that it is still in force. The reason for this command is given and becomes a very interesting statement both literally and figuratively looking toward the future and redemption, its life, that is, its blood. Again, the intent here is not to forbid eating uncooked meat, but not to drink or eat blood.

V. 5 Were you wondering where the command for capital punishment came from? Then comes the reasoning for the command against murder. Man is created in the image of God. It seems to me this is mentioned here because a year earlier the world had been ruled not by justice, but by who could kill whom. I think this law reflects back to life before the flood.

V. 7 This almost sounds like God sending all the animals into the world.

Vs. 8-17 This is a big section and shows that God is doing something very important.

Since this is the first rainbow, it means that this is the first time there were conditions that would make a rainbow possible. It should be noted that the word for bow means "bow" as in weapon. When we see a rainbow I guess it should remind us that God has promised to show mercy and to withhold total judgment.

Notice that although this is a covenant between God, man and all creation, God is the only responsible party. This then is an unconditional covenant or promise. Also, underline every instance of God saying "I." Think about the implications of what He is saying.

This promise to preserve or save is interesting when you see the rainbows in Revelation. Even there, as judgment is coming on the earth, God promises to preserve.

Vs. 18-19 These men and their wives were used to repopulate the earth. Notice that it was all one man and one woman. None of these men had multiple wives.

Notice that Ham is already being identified as the father of Canaan in v. 18 and again in v. 22 when he does what he does. So what did he do? Did he just look at his father, or something more? Part of this might be linked to the respect his other sons show Noah. It might also be displayed later in what was found in the religious worship of the land of Canaan.

Vs. 20-27 God never punishes Noah for getting drunk. Noah was a very righteous man. Some people who know more about fermentation than I do suggest that Noah might have been surprised by the change in the way the process worked after the flood. I don't know.

The real damage came as a result of Ham. When we get to heaven we'll have to find out what happened, but it was an attitude of disrespect and it must have had some element of perverted thought.

The curse is not toward Ham or his other children in general. The curse is fully on Canaan. Notice that other kids of Ham became notable people with notable cities. This curse was misused to support African slave trade. The curse is not on Ham nor was it on any of his descendants who may have populated Africa. The curse is only on one son, Canaan, who later becomes the people and land of Canaan, where Israel is today.

The land of Canaan has special interest because it was given to Abraham. That's why God and Moses are mentioning it here. As the children of Israel are hearing this read, God is supplying them with the explanation for why He used Israel to judge the land of Canaan. When Israel got there, they found that Canaanite worship was very sexually saturated. Most of what archeologists find from religious worship in that area is “X-rated.”

Something was seen in Ham and became intensified in his son Canaan, and God promised judgment for it. It is enough to say that as disciples, we need to be careful to keep our lives open and cleanable before the Lord, so we don't spread unnecessary stuff to our families or to those we are trying to lead as disciples.

Vs. 25-27 Do you notice anything interesting about the curse and the blessings? Shem and Japheth, Noah's sons, are blessed. But Ham isn't blessed. He isn't even mentioned. But Noah's grandson, Canaan, was cursed.

Vs. 28-29 This is just some more trivia, right? Not at all. It may be that Abraham was alive the last 60 years of Noah's life. Depending on the dating either Noah and Abe overlapped, or Noah died just before Abraham was born. In any event, Shem would have been alive to give a firsthand accounting of life before and after the flood. You wonder if Noah or Shem influenced the faith of Abraham.

Genesis 10

V. 1 This is the new beginning of the human race and sounds like Genesis 5:1.

Vs. 2-5 These are the descendants of Japheth. Remember that Moses and God are writing this many years later for the Israelites. These peoples had spread out after Babel. Notable are Magog, a people associated with aggression toward Jerusalem in the end times. Also, the name Kittim sounds like a people associated with the Romans.

Vs. 6-20 These are the descendants of Ham. Notice that Nimrod, from his son Cush, was the founder of Babel and Assyria. He was the first great king. It's always interesting to see the little commentaries given to certain people.

Vs. 15-20 This is a special mention for Israel. The people who came from Canaan, the son of the curse, would be the people God would remove from the land, through Israel. Although, if you look at Sidon, you realize that this is the influence of Tyre and Sidon and also the influence of Jezebel on Ahab and the northern kingdom of Israel.

Baal worship would become a snare to Israel. The worship of Baal and his female counterpart, Ashtoreth, were associated with fertility and sexual worship, using prostitutes to aid the worshipers in their "worship experience." Along with this worship was Moloch worship where the unwanted babies were offered in worship/sacrifice. This sexual worship was deeply seated in Canaan. Although God warned Israel not to copy the Canaanites, Israel followed the attraction of Baal worship almost immediately. Samuel, Saul, and David did away with it, but it was reintroduced by Solomon as he and his wives participated in the worship of Ashtoreth. Then Baal-Ashtoreth-Moloch worship became institutionalized in the northern kingdom when King Ahab married Jezebel, the princess of Sidon. And to think, this all began with Canaan, the son of Ham.

Vs. 21-32 This is the line of Shem, the line of faith. Jesus will be one of Shem's descendants.

V. 25 Notice the comment given to Peleg. It is thought that it was during the time of his birth that the continents began to drift. This would mean that the languages had already been confused, and the peoples drifted apart from one another finding those of like language. Then the land masses began to move. If that's how it worked, that would have been a cheaper solution than taking a cruise or renting a kayak to get to South or North America.

From here God will direct Moses to follow the line of those people who were led by faith in the promise of a child who would deliver mankind. It is pretty amazing that as disciples of Jesus, we continue that line of faith as we work in the harvest following our Lord. His commission to us is to make disciples, who make disciples, until He comes. That's a cool privilege. But first, tomorrow, we'll have to read about the invention of that awful German language (Mark Twain's opinion).

Matthew 4:12-25

Now, you have seen that Matthew has a very specific purpose in mind, showing that Jesus is the promised Messiah. You've noticed that he didn't include the announcements of John the Baptist or Jesus, but we did get the wise men.

V. 12 Jesus' public ministry began at the arrest of John the Baptist, although Jesus had already been involved in ministry since His baptism. The arrest of John was an official starting point.

Now, just for your information, between vs. 12 and 13 there is a gap of time. It is here that you have John 1:35-4:54 and Luke 5:1-11. If you are interested, scan those portions to get a feel for how much Matthew is leaving out.

Vs. 13-17 After Jesus' rejection in Nazareth, Jesus chose Capernaum as His hometown. There were several reasons for this, but the reason Matthew wants us to see is that it fulfilled prophecy of Isaiah 9:1-2.

Vs. 18-22 This is the official calling of Peter, Andrew, James and John. I remember reading this and being stunned by the fact that Jesus just walked up to these guys He had never met or barely knew and said, "follow me," and they immediately left everything. That seems so unbelievable because it was. The calling of Peter & Co. was a process. Matthew is being very selective about the information he is giving. He's driving home a point about Jesus as the Jewish Messiah so he has to leave some stuff out. Before Matthew 4:18 comes John 1:35-chapter 4 and then Luke 5:1-11. If you just lightly skim those portions, you'll see that Peter & Co. had spent lots of time with Jesus. So if we were making some principles, we might say we have to get to know people first, and they need to get to know us, before we call them as disciples. We need to give them time before we ask someone to commit.

V. 21 John was probably one of the two disciples of John mentioned in John 1:37. Poor Zebedee is left alone, and it would get worse. Not only do his sons leave here, but later we find that his wife, Salome (Mary's sister), becomes a follower of Jesus and also accompanies Him on His journeys. I'm guessing that Zeb became a believer too.

Matthew's point here is the one we need to heed. When Jesus, the Messiah, called, they left everything and followed Him.

Vs. 23-25 This is the growth of Jesus' public ministry. Jesus will now begin to experience increased popularity and opposition. The group of "disciples" will grow into a great crowd. It will still be several months before Jesus selects the Twelve. Discipleship with Jesus was a process.

Psalm 4

Like in the psalm yesterday, David is crying out to God. This will be a constant situation with David. God had Samuel anoint David to be king of Israel when David was a young teen. Now, years later, the promise hadn't been fulfilled and David will run and hide from King Saul for about 10 years. David learned to cry out, but he also learned that God's faithfulness and love were steadfast. He only learned that in hardship. That's how we learn as disciples in the harvest. There is no easy way to need the Lord desperately and to receive His saving help unless we are desperate and need to be saved.

V. 1 David was a pro at crying out to God. Notice what he asks for.

V. 2 I don't know how this sounded sung in worship, but the reality was that David had enemies in high places in Saul's palace.

V. 3 David knew this from his own anointing, but also from all of the history he knew from Genesis-Ruth. God was with those who walked in faith and trusted in His promises.

V. 4 Doesn't that sound like Paul in Ephesians 4:26, be angry and do not sin?

V. 5 In spite of persecution and hard times, David insisted that his men honor God and put their trust in Him and His provision. We'll see this in action in 1 Samuel.

V. 6 What do we really need? The light of God's face upon us.

V. 7 Even in his hardship David had joy, and it was probably a unique joy, because it was found in hardship.

Vs. 8 What do we need to have peace and feel secure when everything is falling apart? David had peace and security, though humanly speaking, he was living in danger and uncertainty. God made the difference. That's why we're reading and soaking daily in His Word.

Proverbs 1:20-23

Notice how urgently God has Wisdom crying out to us.

As disciples, our growth has ups and downs. There is our love for Christ and our desire to make Him known and make disciples, but something that also has to grow is our willingness to be more and more submitted to Christ and to following the Spirit.

As Wisdom cries out in this proverb she says in v. 22, How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?

Even as a disciple, I could say, "Hey, I've loved being foolish for years and I've still got a couple of areas I enjoy.”

Jesus, as a very gentle "disciple-maker," works with us, waits for us, probably saying, "If you'd really give yourself totally to me and quit doing the stuff that you and I both know is unwise, you'd have more joy in your walk with me and see real fruit."

V. 23 What an awesome promise. This isn't just the baptism of the Spirit when we are saved. Paul often spoke of being filled as a command and exhortation. Jesus promised that if we would seek God and yield ourselves to Him, the Spirit would lead and strengthen us in joy. I need that more and more.

Please Read the Following Disclaimer

I'm writing the Reading Notes to and for those who are following a One Year Bible and are interested in growing deeper as a disciple, following Jesus in the harvest. My hope is to see the growth of a discipleship culture in the church, that is, groups of 3-4 disciples, meeting weekly, encouraging each other to follow Christ and work to reach out and make disciples, who make disciples. The Bible itself is the most universal and important discipleship manual we have and it is the key to our growth and service in Christ. Nothing keeps us more focused on why we are here, or what we are to be doing, or whom we are to be following. My comments are only meant to provide some explanation of the events or to show the flow of God's plan of redemption. My comments are in no way exhaustive, but are designed to keep us, as disciples, focused on Christ and our role in His harvest. My hope is that the people in these groups will grow in Christ and be willing, after a year, to find 3 others to meet with and encourage in their growth as disciples, making disciples in the harvest.

If you would like a more descriptive commentary that is still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary (BKC). I read the BKC in doing background for the Reading Notes and refer to it quite often. I also make reference to maps or charts in the BKC, though I will only note where those resources can be found. Often you can do a search for these and find them in Google books. Buying both volumes of the Bible Knowledge Commentary would be a good idea.

I am not endorsing any particular One Year Bible translation; in fact, I read something you probably don't, Die Revidierte Lutherbibel, 1984. Unless noted, all Scripture quotes are from the ESV Bible.

Anyone reading along with us is welcome to do so and is encouraged to take their own notes and make their own observations. If the comments made do not agree with your particular tradition or understanding, that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to criticize any point of view, but only to express the truth of what God has written to us, as I understand it. Often there is a breadth of opinion on certain events, both historical and prophetic. Many of my views come from my church background, theological training and my personal study.

I'm doing this with discipleship in mind, meaning, I'm writing out thoughts that will keep discipleship and our growth as disciples applied to what we are reading. Remember, the real focus of the Reading Notes is to be a supplement, a disciple’s commentary, giving motivation and insight so that we will keep following our Lord in the harvest, reaching the lost and making disciples, who make disciples. Being in the Word every day, sitting at Jesus’ feet, learning directly from Him, is the essential essence of being and making disciples.

May the Lord bless you as you follow Him in the harvest, reaching the lost and making disciples, who make disciples. Dan

The daily installments of the Reading Notes can be found at http://fencerail.blogspot.com/

If you would like documents containing an entire month of the Reading Notes, go to https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes.

If you would like a full presentation of discipleship read Simply Disciples*^{Making Disciples}.

Or if you are struggling with insomnia and would like a long boring dissertation on disciple making, these can both be found on https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes.

Reading Notes ©, Dan Kachikis 2011

The One Year Bible © by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton Illinois 60189

Tuesday, January 2, 2018

January 3, 2018 Reading Notes

JANUARY 3

Genesis 5-7

God is still having Moses write about "beginnings" in Genesis. There is a lot in these chapters, so enjoy reading and making notes of observations. Then write down your questions. If you're reading this for the first time, as these texts are read, a lot of questions will pop up that are hard to answer. The questions are valid and they are what the Lord will use to set your heart seeking for answers. It is how you begin to make this truth your own possession. And reading this is how you slowly begin to learn to know, and "internalize," who God is. This is by the Lord’s design.

Genesis 5

Vs. 1-2 This is the summary of the creation of man and purpose statement for all the genealogies to follow. It is tracing only the godly line from Adam that kept the faith and hope of the promise made to Eve. This is tracing the plan of redemption in the very early days of mankind.

Notice that God blessed them. It is important to note that in every beginning, there was a special blessing to get things going. There were miracles and wonders and special provision in the beginning of the nation of Israel. It went from the ease of birth for the Jewish women, to the birth of Moses, to the manna in the wilderness, to the fact that the shoes and clothing of the people never wore out. There was blessing in big and little things. The same is true of the birth of the church in Acts. There were all sorts of miraculous workings and little wonders that brought the church quickly to growth and to organization. Here also there were blessings given to launch mankind. All of these blessings were for those beginnings.

Vs. 3-4 For example, in today's reading it doesn't mention the births of Abel or Cain, but Adam and Eve could have had many other daughters and sons, before and after the birth of Seth, numbering possibly into the hundreds. We can ask God when we get to heaven, but I'll bet that God made conception and birth very easy processes back then. I'm thinking their hormone levels were normal, fertility was high, and they didn't have TV, so what else did they have to do?

Notice that God is only interested in tracing the line of Seth, although it says that Adam and Eve had many other sons and daughters.

Vs. 4-31 As a fun sort of thing, try to figure out the actual time to the flood using the ages, the births and deaths of the line of Adam. The overlap of men up to the flood is interesting. If you do this right, you'll see that a very famous guy dies the year of the flood, and that all of the other godly guys were dead just before the flood. God does a good job of planning, even planning funerals.

Obviously, brothers and sisters married. Notice that they married. Cain knew his wife. That's a bit different than "had sex with his sister." Lamech, who had rage issues like his great grandpa Cain, also had 2 wives.

At the creation of Eve, Moses adds an explanation saying (my paraphrase), "so now you understand where this phenomena came from, this irresistible pattern engraved in the human race that a man will leave his father and mother (one socially identifiable entity) and be joined (married into another socially identifiable union) and become one flesh (have sex!)." This order seems to have been established from the beginning - leave, marry, become one flesh. God ingrained in them from the start, that the bond of marriage happened in an identifiable manner. The woman was socially identified as a wife, and the man, as a husband. Then, after that was established, they could become one flesh, as the Hebrew expresses it, "to know" one another. Under God, even from the beginning, there was no sex without marriage.

Later, God gives the law and forbids incest. But also, later, God put the fear of man in the animals. Later, after the flood, the ages of men began to shorten, drastically. Things changed, guided by God, to the situation we have today.

V. 32 Notice that Noah was 500 when he had these three sons. That doesn't mean these were the only sons he had, not to mention daughters. However, these are the only ones who followed the Lord. That makes for a very sad reality. The times must have been terrible and God's punishment had to come to that culture.

Genesis 6

The knowledge of God became more distant. When God spoke to Cain, Cain wasn't amazed. He was irritated. He 'knew' God. The progress of those generations shows the drifting from God to the day of Noah. Only the line of faith, those who looked for God's answer to the tragedy of the Fall, as promised to Adam and Eve, are mentioned. Notice that in Genesis 4:26 that people began to call upon the name of the Lord, but which Lord (God)? The fact that the sons of God (fallen angels) mixed with humanity (see Jude 1:6), speaks also to the openness and need of humanity to seek and receive spiritual input, but not from the right god. Noah lived and preached (2 Pet. 2:5) for 100 years and there were no "takers" apart from his own family. Imagine how bad he must have felt about his preaching ability.

As disciples we need to lead the way, thinking through this record of fallen reality to give good sincere answers to people who ask. We need to realize, following in Noah's sandals, that our job is to follow Christ and proclaim His Word, not to be "successful" in anyone's eyes but His. Take heed to yourself and to your teaching; hold to that, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers. (1 Tim. 4:16)

Vs. 1-4 If you do a search on sons of God it turns out they are angels. Job 1:6 and 2:1 show this. I have the same question as you do, and I don't know how they could do it. Apparently the angels who did were stopped and are mentioned in Jude 1:6.

V. 4 The Nephilim were giants, like Goliath.

Vs. 5-7 This is God's decision. He apparently locked up the angels that did this and prevented this from happening again. Then He had to cleanse mankind and begin again. Interestingly enough, this genetic line of the Nephilim must have continued through Noah's wife or one of the wives of his sons because the Nephilim are mentioned later. And if you add the sin nature to this genetic material they were bringing in to the post-flood world, it wasn't a completely clean start.

God was sorry, not in that He regretted His decision, but He was grieved at the evil He witnessed. We say "evil," but I'm sure it defied the imagination. We see what happens today. Back then it would have been as bad, if not worse.

Vs. 8-10 Noah is in the godly line from Adam, looking for the redemption of man through the promised child. Although Adam and Seth had died, there were many men around Noah who would have personally known Adam. Because we know that Noah was 500 when he had these three sons, it was very probable that he had other sons and daughters, but the others had become part of the culture and had no interest in the promise or in heeding their father's message.

Vs. 11-22 Noah's Ark!

Don’t miss v. 22.

Genesis 7

Vs. 1-5 Notice how often Noah does what God commands. God spoke to Noah and I'm sure there was a lot of encouragement along the way, especially when the animals began to show up. On the other hand, no one listened to Noah. He preached (2 Peter 2:5) for 100 years. Noah's only "success" was his obedience and the ark.

Vs. 6-10 Noah worked on the ark 100 years.

V. 7 You would have thought that with all of the offspring of the godly line, there would have been more people on the ark. Surely there were other kids of Adam and Enoch and others of the godly line who were still alive. Apparently sin was that bad. Also, there was a spiritual thing going on with the "sons of God" and the rise of powerful leaders. It is very possible that Noah had many other children who didn't follow God. The promise of redemption must have seemed as unnecessary as worshiping the true God. I think this shows how deep the evil was. Everyone but eight people was corrupted.

Vs. 11-16 This restatement shows that God was supernaturally taking care of man and animal. Notice the very exact time reference in v. 11. God had to have revealed this to Moses, especially since Moses was now using the new dating system God gave them after the Passover. It is also here in v. 11 that it is suggested that the protective layer of moisture in the atmosphere was dissolved and added to the general disaster. The final verse is interesting. God shut them in, protecting them, and shutting out all of the wicked.

Vs. 17-24 Notice the word prevailed. Apparently the flood not only rose, but it lasted this long without beginning to go down.

One of the questions is, “Why didn’t God just kill everyone but Noah & Co. with some plague or just vaporize them?” Of course, because of the flood we have great sermon illustrations, children's stories, movies and action figures. But really, it had something to do with mercy, judgment and guilt. The fact that Noah built the ark for 100 years gave everyone the opportunity to come and inquire. The fact that no one came made the righteousness of the judgment obvious. Also, it shows that God is patient but means business. Jesus and Peter both referred to the days of Noah as being an illustration of coming, inevitable judgment, patiently marching forward. (Luke 17:26, Matt. 24:37 and 1 Peter 3:20)

It is the same for us working in the harvest following the Lord. We do what the Lord says, sharing His Word and making disciples. Chances are we won't do worse than Noah, and God will bless us for following and obeying. He'll take care of the rest.

Matthew 3:7-4:11

Matthew 3:7-17

Vs. 7-12 Talk about how not to "win friends and influence people.” Note the contrast between the description of John (camel hair and locusts) and the Pharisees and Sadducees who were rich and well-dressed. John unloaded on them, but Luke 3:7 tells us John also addressed the multitudes of people who were there for baptism. John saw the P&S, then turned to the people and issued this blast. Here is the deciding factor in this very rough sermon. We don't know what the P&S did, but the people responded in Luke 3:10, saying, "What then shall we do?” The Spirit led John to address the leaders and people like this. The people responded with open hearts. The reason the Spirit led John to be so harsh was to reveal and draw those who were spiritually hungry and thirsty. They kept listening.

As disciples we should be tactful, where appropriate, but never hiding the truth. John spoke like this and the people who were drawing near in faith did not run; they came closer, unlike the people in Noah's day. Is it OK to tell people about judgment and hell? Both John and Jesus did.

Vs. 13-17 Jesus' baptism is the first event that all four Gospels refer to with the same specific detail, the Spirit descending as a dove and remaining on Jesus. Properly understood, it was His anointing as King; and, just like David, there was/will be time between His anointing and His earthly throne. This anointing and presentation of the Messiah to Israel was the fulfilling of the ministry of John the Baptist as seen in the Gospel of John, chapters 1- 3. This might be behind the words of Jesus. To fulfill all righteousness, here, was to have John fulfill his purpose in God's plan.

Matthew 4:1-11

Vs. 1-3 Dwight Pentecost mentions that one of the reasons for the 40 days might have been to make sure Jesus faced off with Satan. It took that long to smoke Satan out. Jesus, the real ruler of humanity, confronted the present ruler/guardian/rat. The Spirit was the aggressor. The temptation of man was in the garden. Afterward Satan turned the world into a wilderness. Jesus is challenging Satan in the wilderness. Another thought here regarding the wilderness is that Israel was in the wilderness being formed into the nation that was to reach the world; but as Paul says in that famous passage on temptation, 1 Corinthians 10:5-13, they failed.

Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

V. 4 Notice that Jesus, unlike Eve, correctly quotes Scripture and uses it against Satan. Interestingly enough, all of the Scripture Jesus quotes to Satan comes out of Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy was written at the end of the wilderness experience of the children of Israel.

Vs. 5-6 This temptation is in a different order between Matthew and Luke. Personally, I would go with Luke, but I understand the Spirit having both men place this in a different order. Matthew builds up to showing Jesus is the Messiah, the King. Luke was painstakingly chronological and shows that Jesus is God the Son and superior to Satan. In Luke you get the sense that Satan was frustrated with Jesus quoting Scripture so he tried to trick Jesus by quoting Scripture himself. Notice that Satan correctly quotes the verses, understanding their meaning, but incorrectly applies them to that situation. That tells me that we also need to know the heart of God and honor Him alone. That is why we are reading the Word, not to promote ourselves, but to know and serve Him.

Vs. 7-11 Note that Jesus does not dispute Satan's claim to rule. There is no room here for a long discussion, but just to say that the claim is legitimate and supported by Paul's god of this world (2 Cor. 4:4) and the world rulers of this present darkness (Eph. 6:12, RSV).

Also, Jesus doesn't really have a discussion with Satan, He just quotes Scripture and ends it. Maybe there is a godly stance before aggressive unbelief that is simply silent, not giving dogs what is holy or throwing pearls before swine.

V. 10 Notice that worship equals service. If you don't serve you are not truly worshiping, because true worship leads to service. Jesus wasn't tricked by thinking you could have one without the other.

V. 11 I don't think Satan understood the full impact of this confrontation. When a demon possesses a person, it binds and dominates the human spirit. It could be that Satan assumed there was a separate human spirit in Jesus that was being dominated by the Spirit of God the Son, and he was trying to get that human spirit to rebel against God.

I think that Satan and his angels saw the man Jesus, but assumed it was the spirit of God the Son, merely dominating a human. That is how they work. In that case the human spirit would not have been free to choose to die for mankind. That possessed human would have been forced to do so. That would have made God's plan invalid. I think that Jesus, as incarnate God, fully man and fully God, was still veiled in mystery and hidden; for as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:8, None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

Psalm 3

Vs. 1-2 I hate to say this, but I don't think you can grow past a certain place as a disciple until you experience something like this. These are only words until you have contended for God and been taken out by unfriendly fire, whether from believers or unbelievers. Paul promised Timothy, All who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and imposters go from bad to worse, deceivers and deceived (2 Tim. 3:12).

Vs. 3-4 This is where you learn to truly cry out as a disciple and where you truly realize that the Lord, and no one else, can save and satisfy. Selah!

Vs. 5-6 You get the idea that David learned to trust and rest in the Lord over time. He was in constant danger for years, yet he slept and rose and God was still protecting him.

Vs. 7-8 Punishment comes to the rebellious. That is certain and David could rest in that. Salvation comes from the Lord. That too was certain and worth waiting for.

Proverbs 1:10-19

I think the message of Solomon to his son is "Beware of shortcuts.” I know none of us is going to sneak up on someone and mug them for their wallet. But there is a temptation, for the sake of God, to press the "easy" button in relationships, money and honesty.

Jesus told His disciples to make sure they were on the right way. How do you know which way is the right one? The gate is narrow, you are pressed getting through it, and the way is hard. It takes work and focus. Honest work, paying taxes, honoring city codes, telling the truth, honoring copyrights, being authentic are all work. If our faith costs us nothing, it could be that we are not following Christ in the harvest at all. We're just being good clean church people.

For the sake of the Kingdom we get tempted to take shortcuts. We are not to be in the company of, or enticed by, those who want to disobey God in order to "serve" God and "build" His kingdom. Many disciples have stumbled and many ministries have been destroyed by this nonsense. Worst of all, Christ Himself and His church become held up to ridicule by the behavior of His own people.